Kingdom Hearts: Shattered Bonds
by EmD23
Summary: "A Sora that falls, a Riku that flies." Sora sets off as requested by the King to reconnect what is lost, but he finds himself struggling with his inner demons as Xehanort prepares his ultimate gambit. *SPOILERS FOR BBS, Re:Coded, and all games*


"It seems that you've returned."

"As have you."

"Heh, you know me. So old man, what's the plan?"

"Patience. All the pieces are in place. Now we simply wait for the trigger."

"Alright. However, we were three last time and we failed. Can the two of us do it?"

"Perhaps...our time would be better spent recruiting allies."

"Gotcha. I guess I'll set off then."

"Make sure you do not die. There's no coming back from that."

"As if!"

"..."

"...Interesting. Most interesting, don't you think?"

"So ya spotted me, eh?"

"Of course. And what brings you here?"

"Just checking up on ya, is all. Glad to see you're up and kicking, old man."

"And this check-up has nothing to do with your superiors?"

"You're a perceptive old man, ain't cha. Yeah, they wanted to check on you. You are one of the Four, after all. Now we can have a big happy reunion!"

"Do you mock me, boy?"

"Ha! Guess that new body of yours has done wonders for reflexes, old man. I ain't never seen you whip out your key so fast."

"Begone, if you have nothing more to say."

"Alright. I have a message though. 'Do not be afraid to ask for help.' From the Superiors."

"Dully noted. Now leave."

"Right, right."

"Insolent boy. A tempting offer, though. Yes. I will pretend to be at their mercy, then take everything as mine. I've waited years, after all. I can wait a little longer."

**Kingdom Hearts: Shattered Bonds**

Today was one of those days where you wanted nothing more than to simply lie on your bed and sleep the day away. Or perhaps you'd like to go to the beach and relax with your friends.

Unfortunately, Sora was not doing either of these things.

The Chosen of the Keyblade had one hand supporting his head as he gazed out of his classroom window, lost in thought. His eyes traced the soft, curvy clouds that laid splattered across the sky as his eyes adjusted to the bright sun. The sound of seagulls permeated the air, creating a natural symphony that Sora imagined would go beautifully with the soft sound of the waves crashing against the shore of the main island. From his seat, Sora could also see the smaller island in the distance, the island that held many memories and the place where his life had changed one fateful night.

Sora's gaze broke away when he heard the teacher, an old, kind, but strict woman, call out his name. "Huh?"

"I asked, Mr. Nadameru, whether you can tell me who founded this island community."

He shook his head, adding a boyish grin. "I'm afraid not, but that's why I'm here, to learn."

The corner of his teacher's mouth twitched as a round of giggles broke out among his peers. "I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Nadameru, but you won't get much learning done if you continue to daydream. Please try to pay attention."

"Yes ma'am."

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Sora waited until he was dismissed before picking up his backpack and ruffling his brown, spiky hair. He loosened the tie around his neck and walked out of the classroom, where his two best friends were waiting for him.

The first one was a tall and muscular boy who stood about a head taller than Sora and sported long, silver hair. Like Sora, he wore a loosened tie and a matching school uniform, although unlike Sora, he preferred to keep his jacket buttoned up.

Standing next to him stood a pretty girl with bright blue eyes and red hair. Her appearance was radiant and Sora was reminded why he cared for her so much every time he saw her. The girl, upon spotting Sora, giggled. "Good job today, sleepyhead."

"I was not sleeping," Sora replied, smiling. "I was admiring the scenery."

"Excuses, right Riku?"

The tall boy chuckled.

"Give me a break, Kairi," Sora said. "It's beautiful today!"

Kairi nodded. "I can't argue with that."

"It's a good omen," Riku said quietly. Both Sora and Kairi knew what he was talking about. Today was the day that Sora and Riku would set off on a new journey at the request of the King. The King had earlier sent a bottle with a message that asked Sora to go searching for three special people. However, they had soon received a second letter that stated Riku and Sora had an important event to attend and to wait for Donald and Goofy, the two trusted aides of the King, to pick them up.

"Which means that this will be a successful one!" Kairi said optimistically.

"I hope so!" Sora exclaimed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoy saving the worlds and all, but I'm hoping we save them for real this time."

"And then," Kairi said softly, "we can have a normal life, the way it used to be."

All three teens, their lives changed by the mysterious weapon know as the Keyblade, were broken from the thoughts by the loud exclamation of a fellow friend.

"Oi! Sora, Riku, Kairi!"

The three turned around to see a tan boy with spiky blond hair approaching them quickly.

"What's up, Tidus?" Sor asked.

"You guys up for a game of Blitzball later?"

"That game you and Wakka came up with?"

"Yeah," Tidus said, grinning. "Come on!"

"You guys up to it?" Sora asked Riku and Kairi.

"Sure," they replied.

"Alright Tidus, we'll be there."

"Excellent. 5 o'clock on the small island, alright? Wakka and Selphie will bet there too."

He was gone in a second.

"He's even livelier than you are," Riku commented as the three continued walking down the hallway and towards the exit. "Anyway, Mickey said to expect Donald and Goofy around 8, so be ready by then, Sora."

Sora rolled his eyes. "I know."

The three separated at the usual spot and Sora watched Riku and Kairi walk down the left path together as he took the right.

_ 'Kairi._'

A goofy smile adorned Sora's face as he thought about the girl and he walked home with a spring in his step.

XXXXXXXX

"Hmm...yes, that shall do it. That will be the one."

Yen Sid, the most powerful sorcerer of all worlds, sat down and rubbed his temples as he once again went through the details of the Mark of Mastery Exam he was about to bestow upon Sora and Riku. His hands moved to his beard and he stroked it as he gazed out of the window and into the fluorescent green foliage that covered the world around his tower.

_ 'Sora._'

The boy was powerful and had a strong heart. However, Yen Sid was worried. Sora had suffered his fair share of losses and pains due to his journey, but he had never undergone the sheer inner struggle that his friend Riku and his Nobody Roxas had. The stronger the heart, the easier a small weakness could be exploited.

Xehanort was a master of exploiting weaknesses. This test, more than anything, would show Yen Sid exactly what Sora needed to work on.

Yen Sid began to rise from his chair to retire for bed until an uneasy feeling washed over him, rooting him to his spot. He felt the darkness roll over his body as his breath hitched._ 'It can't be! Xehanort's gotten** them** involved as well?'_

The sorcerer muttered an incantation that opened a communication link to Mickey's Chamber as his mind worked furiously. Of all the allies Xehanort could have found...Things had suddenly gotten extremely serious.

XXXXXXX

Sora stretched his body as he walked towards his house, watching the sun set. It was around 7, so soon he'd be departing. The Blitzball game had been extremely fun and the chance to hang out one last time with the crew had filled Sora with a flood of emotions that had resulted in a single tear rolling down his cheek, which was quickly wiped.

His mother. Sora had not told her that he was leaving, putting it off as much as possible. She had been devastated when he had gone missing over a year and had only just now begun to recover._ 'I have to do this. She has to understand._' He bit his lip. However, he did not have any more time to linger on the thought because the sky seemed to have burst open. Sora stared as what appeared to be a shooting star crashed into the smaller island. Glancing around to see if he was alone, Sora jumped and began gliding towards it, wondering why Goofy and Donald were early.

He landed softly on the shore of the island and approached the smoking crater. To his shock, however, there was no Gummi ship. Instead, a lone person appeared to be climbing out of the hole. Sora instinctively summoned his Keyblade, feeling a sense of dread wash over him. Whatever was coming out of that hole was bad business.

From the hole emerged a teenager who appeared slightly older than Sora. He appeared normal enough, wearing white pants with a tight, black, sleeveless shirt. He had short black hair and was of a lean build. The boy stretched before opening his eyes, and Sora flinched before he could help himself.

The eyes were a solid crimson, the color of blood, black pupils that stared directly at Sora.

"Oh?"

"Who are you?" Sora asked.

The boy ignored the question. "Finding you was easier than I expected. Is that the Kingdom Key you're holding?"

Sora's grip tightened. "Who are you?"

The boy smiled and it only served to make Sora even more uneasy. "Impatient, ain't cha? Name's Vega."

The boy studied him. "Ya know, I expected ya to look more intimidating."

"Looks can be deceiving," Sora replied shortly. Vega let out a bark of laughter.

"Ha! I like ya, kid!" Then, to Sora's immense shock, Vega extended his arm and summoned a green and black Keyblade. It was designed as a double helix, the black and green interconnecting until they reached the top, where the Keyblade took the form of a club with 3 spikes coming out of it. It was a plain design, but Sora could feel the power emitting from it. "This baby," Vega drawled as he twirled his Keyblade, "is called _Divine Subjugation_.'

He made a sudden movement that caused the Keyblade to cut through the air, hissing. "My mission, Chosen of the Keyblade, is to test you. Don't let me down, alright?"

Sora charged at the same time as Vega and their weapons clashed with a resounding bang that sent both of them flying. Sora landed on his feet but stumbled, dropping to one knee on the sand. Vega was sent flying straight into the old shack, where he disappeared under the wreckage. Sora managed to stand up just in time to see Vega send the debris flying as he got on his feet, unhurt.

He had a look of utter glee on his face.

"Excellent! Come on Sora, don't let me down!"

Steeling himself, Sora dashed forward and the two clashed again.

* * *

A/n: Boom!

This here is not a story. It's a collection of thoughts. My mind has been working furiously since I finished BBS and the secret ending of Re:Coded finally encouraged me to write something. I wrote this on the fly. Apart from a couple of key points, I'll be making this up as I go along. This is because I'm trying to drain my head rather than construct an epic tale. So yeah, updates will be few and far between, if the story is updated at all.

Scanned over it for typos, but didn't really try to make it an amazing piece full of unrivaled prose.

So if you guys want, you can join me as I make this stuff up or you can ignore it. Your choice. If you stick around, then thanks =]

Now two things regarding the story itself:

1. Nadameru is Japanese for Soothing according to google. So yeah, I named Sora 'Soothing Sky.' Don't fret over it. I jsut needed to put something down. The name will probably never show up again.

2. For anyone worried that Vega and his 'Superiors' will take over the story, don't worry. Vega will make a few appearances, as will the Superiors, but KH is Xehanort's show and will remain so. These guys are just to add villains. Fillians, if you want (filler villains). However, they'll do a little something every now and then.

So yeah, if you decide to stick around, drop a review and some constructive criticism. Much appreciated.

See ya.


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